Campbellsville—Campbellsville University hosted 8,681 participants in summer camps from May through early August, as compared to 7,007 last summer, for an increase of 24 percent.
Forty-four camp groups visited the campus with 187 churches participating in activities.
Centri-Kid camps included 4,840 participants—539 more than last year—from 180 churches, 13 more than in 2014.
Rusty Watkins, director of summer camps and conferences, said this summer’s camps had 93 first-time decisions for Christ and a total of 224 decisions. Each student making a first-time decision received a Bible.
A total of 487 professions of faith were made from June 1, 2014, through May 31, 2015, among all Campbellsville University services and missions. This number does not include decisions made during this summer.
“In my 14 years of leading the summer camp program, we have had 1,603 first-time decisions for Christ,” he said. “That is an amazing picture of what Campbellsville University is all about.”
Watkins said the camps consisted of Centri-Kid Camps for third through sixth graders, Fellowship of Christian Athletes State Leadership Camp for junior and senior high students, Kentucky Baptist Convention All-State Youth Choir and Orchestra, Kentucky Police Explorers Academy for high school and college students, 55 sports camps including basketball, soccer, wrestling, football, tennis and cheerleading, leadership retreats and a Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America camp.
Campbellsville University, for the first year, led its own Journeys Camp for junior and senior high students. The School of Music led a two-night, three-day Chamber Music Camp, and the school hosted the Ignite Conference, which brought in spiritual leaders from all over the country for a four-day conference.
All but one of the groups that were on campus have already rescheduled to return next summer.
Watkins said Campbellsville will be hosting the Kentucky Boys State next June. Also, the university has tentatively scheduled four Journey Camps (two for third through sixth grades and two for sixth through 12th grades).
Watkins said campers came from 28 states and Canada, and they were impressed with Campbellsville University and the camp staff.
“This campus is beautiful and it is ideal for Centri-Kid Children’s Camp,” members of First Baptist Church in Paris, Tenn. said. Centri-Kid has scheduled to host nine cycles of camp on the campus again next summer.
Kevin Milburn, pastor of Union Baptist Church and former vice president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, said about his campers had a “great time at Campbellsville University.”
For more information about summer camps, contact Watkins at rdwatkins@campbellsville.edu or (270) 789-5047.
Joan McKinney